Sad that artistes buy hits and inflate numbers artificially: Rabbi Shergill

New Delhi, April 30 (PTI) As someone who grew up in the bygone era of albums and CDs, Punjabi Sufi singer Rabbi Shergill says he finds it difficult to navigate the digital age where views are inflated “artificially”.

Best known for the hit song “Bulla Ki Jaana Main Kaun” from his 2005 eponymous debut album, the Delhi-based musician said it is a “sad” trend that artistes are paying to inflate the views of their songs on the Internet.

“I would like to think of an album as a book. So, if you compare me to a writer, would a writer be happy if he had written just three books? He would want to write more books. It is another thing that no one cares about books, CDs or albums anymore. So the format I grew up listening to and trying to get good at is gone,” Shergill told PTI in an interview.

“You find hundreds of millions (views) to a song and you don’t know that song, you don’t know that artiste. So there is a lot of tinsel quality to music now, you can just buy hits in Africa, Zanzibar, Kazakhstan and inflate your numbers artificially. That I find really sad,” he said, adding he has compositions ready for “5-6 albums”.

The 50-year-old singer, also known for albums ‘Avenji Ja Nahin’ (2008) and ‘III’ (2012), believes while “fake numbers” might make some singers earn more money and gigs, they won’t leave any cultural footprint.

“That will happen only if you write it from your soul, you mean it, authentic. Something authentic can truly have an authentic footprint. But I don’t think that is the kind of conversation that people have in studios anymore,” said Shergill, who described his music as “bittersweet” poetry.

The singer-songwriter, whose discography is also populated with Hindi film songs “Tere Bin” (“Delhii Heights”), “Chhalla” (“Jab Tak Hai Jaan”), and “Tu Mun Shudi” (“Raanjhanaa”), believes Punjabi music must bring in “real alternative voices” which are on the fringes right now.

“Punjabi songs are the pop music of India… As a Punjabi, I am proud we have become this big. At the same time, can we take this position and extend? If we keep on doing the same thing, the music shrinks, then your cultural imprint shrinks. So, you have to take some bold risks,” he added.

Shergill recently performed at the inaugural edition of Sacred Amritsar Festival.